


You Are Something Magical

by LyraLoudmouth1220



Series: Sugar Don't You Change a Thing: A Domestic Hosie Universe [2]
Category: Legacies (TV 2018)
Genre: Baby Firsts, F/F, Fluff, Hope is a nervous wreck, Hosie BABY!, Hosie Marriage Proposal, It's ALL FLUFF you guys, Josie just wants to know what's happening
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-03
Updated: 2020-12-03
Packaged: 2021-03-10 10:34:59
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 10,819
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27849478
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LyraLoudmouth1220/pseuds/LyraLoudmouth1220
Summary: Hope and Josie finally have baby Olivia home. Now it's time to navigate the challenges that come with raising a ridiculously rambunctious magical baby. And once they get settled, maybe Hope can get her act together and make an honest woman out of Josie.A sequel to my fluffy fic "You Sweetened Up My Life" that is equally fluffy and sweet. Enjoy some domestic cuteness, baby firsts, and Josie Saltzman finally getting the marriage proposal and attention she damn well deserves.
Relationships: Hope Mikaelson/Josie Saltzman
Series: Sugar Don't You Change a Thing: A Domestic Hosie Universe [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2038658
Comments: 20
Kudos: 173





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Welcome back everyone! Look, I finally got around to that sequel I promised you for what I have affectionately dubbed my Olivia AU. This fic kind of reads like a VERY long one-shot. Let's have some fun! Not even a little bit of angst to be found. I wanted our girls to be happy with their baby.
> 
> It may be pretty obvious by my writing that I am the oldest of MANY kids and I've raised a LOT of babies. All of these little experiences with Olivia are either inspired by my own experiences raising my brother and sisters or they are straight up direct transcriptions of the silliest baby memories I have. It was a lot of fun reliving those memories in fanfic form so I hope you enjoy them as much as I did.

Olivia Beth Mikaelson was the sweetest baby on Earth. Hope and Josie were able to take her home just a day after she was born since she was perfectly healthy. Hope had bounced back fairly well since Olivia was no longer short-circuiting her with magic power surges and her Tribrid healing helped a lot. She had no idea how much that was exhausting her until now. 

The first week was fairly easy for them with Freya’s help. She took the night shifts for them so they could alternate during the day. Olivia was an easygoing baby but definitely wanted her mothers’ attention if she could get it. 

She was nursing just fine but had apparently become accustomed to voices while she was eating, whether it be her mommy Hope or her mama Josie. A few times when Freya was bottle feeding her she would get fussy and cry. She didn’t need magic to wake her moms and bring them to her. 

“What’s happening?” A sleepy Josie mumbled as she stumbled into the living room one of those early nights. 

Olivia whined louder. 

“Oh, what’s wrong baby love?” Josie cooed. 

“Nothing’s wrong,” Freya laughed. “She’s just being a little whiny tonight.”

Once Olivia could hear her she shifted her head a little to hear her better and then went back to sucking on her bottle with a sigh. Josie went to go and grab her but she fussed, clearly cozy and not wanting to be moved. Freya just shrugged and Josie went to go back to sleep. It seemed like Olivia just wanted to bother her mama and once that had been achieved, she was content to go back to what she was doing before. Classic Hope. 

She didn’t get further than just a couple feet before she bumped into an Olivia-brand forcefield. Olivia’s gray eyes were locked in her direction as she drank. 

“You just want me in the area?” Josie asked her. She walked back over to grab Olivia’s foot poking out of the blanket. Her daughter closed her eyes at the sound of her voice. 

“I think she just wants to hear your voice,” Freya guessed. “She’s such a little brat, just like Hope was.”

Josie sang to her softly the rest of the night and gave Freya the night off. At that point she had laughed so hard at her daughter’s audacity she was pretty much awake. They made small recordings of their voices after that for Freya to play in the late nights to soothe Olivia into relaxing enough to eat without summoning her mothers. 

All too soon, Freya had to return to her own family back home. Hope and Josie felt like they had developed a good handle on Olivia’s schedule. They had braced themselves for difficulties now that they had lost a large amount of support. 

Olivia continued to defy their expectations. She was so easy and sweet and slept on schedule most of the time even though she obviously needed to be fed every few hours. Josie braced for Hope to get frustrated but she was really relaxed. One evening while Olivia shrieked in frustration from some unknown force, Josie gave Hope an anxious look but was met with a soft smile. 

“I just...even when she’s crying I’m just so happy she’s here,” Hope replied. “Everything in me wants to be near her. And yeah, I’m tired but I was sure I would never get out of Malivore. This is the life I was sure I would never have. Even if it’s hard, at least it’s _mine_.”

Josie had kissed her soundly for that. 

“You’re here with us,” Josie whispered. “You’re here with me, it’s okay.”

Olivia was a fairly observant baby for as much as she could see. Babies normally couldn’t see too far out of a few feet from their face and the minute something caught her eye she was moving her head around to look at it. Well, as much as she could move her head. 

Josie had been popped in the mouth by her daughter’s head several times the first few weeks that Olivia was home. While most babies wanted to be held in the crook of your arms while laying on their backs, Olivia often whined when she was being laid that way. They found that she preferred to be held with her head against your shoulder and your arm under her tush so she could look around. 

She loved to look at her mommy Hope more than anything. When she heard Hope come into the room she would _jerk_ her head up as much as she could and she’d slammed the top of her head into Josie’s jaw a million times by now. Josie just got used to having bites in her cheeks from her jaw slamming upwards. Hope always found this hilarious as she watched Olivia bob her head up and down. 

“Oh sweetie,” she hummed, coming up to kiss her still-fuzzy head. “You gotta stop hurting your mama. I know you want to move around and look around and be big but you can’t be big yet. You have to be small and helpless as long as you can because I said so.”

Josie just giggled. “She just can’t help herself. She needs to know where everything is.”

Olivia went cross-eyed as Josie leaned up to rub her nose against the tiny one. Even coming too close Olivia wanted to see everything. 

They got into the habit of showing Olivia just about everything they were doing since she was always trying to see. If she wasn’t sleeping she just wanted to know what you were doing. Even silly, mundane things. Picking up a cup of coffee? Show Olivia and say “coffee.” Holding the mail before you drop it in the box? Show Olivia and say “mail.” Getting ready to feed Olivia her bottle? Put it in front of her face and make the sign for “milk” while saying the word. Everything was a learning opportunity. 

On a hot summer afternoon Olivia was watching them eat popsicles as they sat on the balcony in lounge chairs. She was licking her own lips while watching, making them all laugh. She was laying with her head on her Aunt Lizzie’s shoulder. Hope and Josie were pretty delirious at this point from happiness and exhaustion. 

“You want this?” Josie asked Olivia while sticking the popsicle in her face. Olivia bounced on Lizzie’s shoulder and made a whiny noise. 

Josie shrugged and tapped the popsicle to Olivia’s lips. She bounced again and made a goofy sour face. 

“Yeah Sugar,” Josie giggled. “It’s cold.”

She made the ASL sign for “cold,” something they were trying to start early for Olivia. Her daughter wiggled away from the popsicle with a confused face...before leaning forward again with her mouth open.

Josie tapped it there again and Olivia puckered her lips around it for a millisecond longer before scrunching up her face again and running away. Lizzie laughed while stroking her head. 

“It’s like those stupid Sour Patch Kids,” she argued. “She’s been looking for something sugary and sour since she came into this world!”

After a third attempt Olivia started to cry at the temperature and they wiped her face clean. Josie put a binky in her own mouth to warm it up and then gave it to Olivia who sighed and closed her eyes. 

“Alright, I’m tapping out,” Josie announced, gripping Hope’s hand. “Lizzie, just keep her alive for two hours because for the love of god do we need sleep.”

Olivia was always good for her Aunt Lizzie. Josie had never seen this side of her sister, so soft and attentive. She allowed herself one bubbling moment of jealousy as she bemoaned the fact that Lizzie had never been this affectionate with her, even when she needed it. But...at least she was giving all of this attention to her daughter. She couldn’t blame her. Everyone who met Olivia fell in love with her. Josie sighed in contentment as she watched Lizzie put her sun hat over her daughter to keep her out of the sun. 

When Hope and Josie had brought Olivia to meet her Grandpa Ric, her father had just sobbed while holding her. Hope and Josie let him have a moment. 

“I didn’t think I was even going to be a father,” he whispered. “I thought I lost you girls when I lost your mom. And now I’m sitting here holding my granddaughter. Sometimes life gives you a break. Ya know?”

Josie just sat there sniffing back her own tears as she nodded and laid her head on her dad’s shoulder. Olivia popped her head up as long as she had the strength to and looked at her grandpa’s face. Her eyes got bluer and bluer with each passing day, eventually giving everyone the lovely feeling that they were staring right back at a baby Hope. 

“I know, dad,” Josie sighed. “I can’t help feeling that everything we’ve all suffered through has been leading us to this moment. This one perfect moment where we get to hold this one sweet thing and just be happy.”

“Yeah,” Alaric laughed. “I think you may be right. And no one deserves this more than you and Hope.”

She gave her dad a kiss on the cheek at that as she just smiled down at her wiggly little girl. Olivia sighed around her binky and lightly slapped her tiny fist against her grandpa’s chest. 

They developed a routine with Olivia fairly quickly in those first few months. Since Josie had to be back in her office after the first three months (something that pretty much destroyed her the first day she left Hope and her daughter alone together and unable to help) Hope started taking her to the art gallery with her. Hope’s father seemed to have a great many friends in the art world so she was able to get contact information for several artists under the pretense of “Klaus’s daughter needs some help.” She kept Olivia in a papoose on her chest once she was able to hold her head up pretty well. God help any of Hope’s gallery team that made eye contact with Olivia because it pretty much immobilized every passerby who had to stop what they were doing to fawn over the baby.

Hope had been a little worried that she wouldn’t be able to get much work done at the gallery when she was there with Olivia. Her coworkers genuinely surprised her. The minute she was asked to look something over someone would offer to take Olivia for her. She didn’t want her colleagues to feel like they were being paid to watch her daughter and not do their jobs but she couldn’t stop people from wanting to help. 

At the end of it all, Hope felt this would be good for her daughter. She wasn’t afraid of strangers because she was passed around so much. Olivia wanted her moms most of the time but she stopped getting so fussy when it was someone else who held her instead. If she couldn’t see or hear Hope she was pretty fine to be coddled by family friends and actual family. By the time Olivia was able to hold herself up on her arms and rock back and forth Hope just knew she wouldn’t be afraid to explore and wreak havoc for anyone nearby. 

It was the little moments that they cherished the most. Little things they would only get to experience in the quiet of their home together. They finally accepted just how big she was getting when they saw Olivia’s first sign. 

She was fresh out of a bath, a few months old now, and lying comfortably in Josie’s arms. Hope was on the couch next to them as Josie sat in the rocking chair they moved to the living room. The baby was laying with her back against Josie’s chest and Hope was softly rubbing her little feet every so often until Olivia started kicking them away. 

Josie was giving Olivia her evening bottle and they had some baby show on for her at a low volume. They had gotten in the habit of signing “milk” while she drank her bottle, just to reinforce the concept. They would also keep on the Signing Time baby sign language videos during bottle times since it was such a relaxing, quiet show. 

Josie felt Olivia shifting a little and gave her a kiss on the head while she drank. She then felt the blanket slightly moving by Olivia’s hand and absentmindedly looked down. She gasped as she watched Olivia slowly opening and closing her hand while drinking. Olivia looked up at her mama, bottle still in her mouth, and made the sign faster. Josie did her best not to straight-up scream. 

“Hope,” she said with urgency. “Hope, look. Right now. Look at her hand.”

Hope just hummed as she turned her head down to the baby. “What am I looking at—”

“She’s doing the sign for milk!” Josie stage whispered. “Look, look at her! She’s doing it!”

It was then Hope’s turn to dramatically gasp. She straightened up but resisted the urge to stand up completely. She just gasped at her daughter, still slowly signing. 

Josie whispered in her ear an insistent “good job baby, that’s right. That’s milk.”

Eventually, Olivia spit the bottle out and started rubbing her face with exhaustion. 

Josie got up, held the baby close to her chest, and got her ready for bed with Hope following behind. They stood over her crib watching Olivia sleep. 

“She’s already signing,” Hope whispered. “I can’t believe it. She’s only 6 months old, I’m so surprised.”

“She’s smart like her mommy,” Josie said, stroking Olivia’s messy curls. “She wants to talk to us so badly it doesn’t surprise me.”

“I need her to stay small,” Hope complained. “The minute she starts walking I’m going to lock her in her crib so she can’t leave.”

Josie just chuckled in response. She grabbed Hope’s hand and pulled her out of the baby’s room. Once they were in their bedroom she pulled Hope down on the bed with her. 

“As much as I love gushing over our baby,” Josie said. “I would very much like to spend some quiet time with my girlfriend the rest of the evening.”

Josie leaned in for a kiss that Hope returned. Hope tried her best to resist a frown at the thought though. 

_Girlfriend? Is that…still all we are? That doesn’t seem right._

It felt like they were more than that. It felt like they shared something that was more intense, more trusting, more intimate than just “girlfriends.” And in that moment, Hope got an idea. An idea on how to make Josie finally feel seen and attended to. It was time for Hope to make good on her promises to Josie and make her feel special. 

She was going to have to call Lizzie. She needed to know Josie’s ring size.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hope talks to Lizzie about proposing to Josie.

Hope knew Lizzie was already suspicious when Hope invited her to lunch. Lizzie knew it was at the same time that Josie would be at the office and it wasn’t often that Hope would willingly offer to buy Lizzie food without her twin present. However, once Hope mentioned that she would be bringing Olivia she knew Lizzie couldn’t refuse.

And that’s how she found herself sitting at a table in Lizzie’s favorite Italian restaurant waiting to be interrogated by her daughter’s godmother. She settled and secured a 9 month old Olivia into a highchair. Olivia immediately started making the signs for “want” and “bread” as she reached towards the table to the basket of soft breadsticks. Hope handed her one and Olivia shoved it into her mouth and started sucking and chewing. 

Lizzie came sauntering into the restaurant and sat down across from Hope with a complaint already sitting on her freshly rouged lips. 

“Is there ever going to be a time that Hancock Street isn’t full of traffic?” Lizzie bemoaned. “It’s barely 1 o’clock. I mean, seriously.”

Hope decided to start with the big guns. Get Lizzie in a good mood early and things would normally work out in your favor. She reached over to take the soggy breadstick from Olivia who grumbled. 

“Livy,” she prompted in a happy voice. “Who is that?”

Hope pointed at Lizzie who just looked back at them with a raised eyebrow. 

Olivia bounced happily and smiled. She then looked back at Lizzie and made a rudimentary attempt at the sign for “aunt.” She shook her little fist next to her cheek while giggling. 

“That’s right,” Hope praised, doing the sign with her. “That’s Aunt Lizzie! Good job baby!”

Lizzie sat there in stunned silence. 

“My niece knows my name,” she gasped. 

“Well duh, she is basically named after you. Right?”

Lizzie just gave a shuddering sigh as she nodded. 

“Excuse me, ma’am,” a waiter interrupted. “Can I get you anything to—”

“Can’t you see we’re having a moment?!” Lizzie shrieked at the startled waiter. “Bring me a Diet Coke and shove off!”

Hope blushed as she mumbled a soft apology to the waiter and made a mental note to tip generously before she left. Olivia made grabby hands for the breadstick again making the sign for “bread.” Lizzie handed her a new stick with a kiss on the head as she wiped away tears. 

“Is this why you wanted to meet me for lunch? Because if this is going to be a trend I’ll have you know that this novelty will  _ never  _ wear off.”

“Um, not exactly,” Hope started. “I wanted to talk to you about Josie actually.”

“Oh god, what did she do?”

“What? Nothing, I just—”

“Okay, what did  _ you  _ do?”

“I didn’t do anything!” Hope protested. “I wanted to talk to you about  _ me  _ and Josie. Our relationship. I mean, _ my  _ relationship with your sister.”

She was saved from further confusion by the waiter who brought them their drinks and took their orders. She took the free moment to breathe and rearrange her thoughts, ordering herself chicken parm and some buttered noodles for Olivia. Hope tried again. 

“As I was saying, I think it’s time that Josie and I got...a little more serious,” Hope explained. 

“Okay,” Lizzie replied around a mouthful of bread. “And what do you want from me? You need my permission to get busy with my sister or something?”

“Lizzie, please focus and stop talking about sex in front of my daughter,” Hope pleaded. 

Olivia heard the name “Lizzie” and started making the sign for aunt again. Lizzie clapped her hands, making the baby giggle. 

“Hope, you clearly want something from me so just spit it out. Is something wrong?”

“No, nothing’s wrong I just—”

“Then what is it already?”

“I’m going to ask her to marry me and I need your help so please just SHUT UP!” Hope was too frustrated to play this game any longer. 

“What?” Lizzie was once again stunned into silence. 

Hope took a small box out of the pocket of her jacket. She slid it over to Lizzie. The other woman opened it and stared down at a massive and brilliantly clear cushion-cut diamond sitting atop a platinum band that was set with smaller diamonds around it. 

“It turns out that the Mikaelson family has a stash of jewels that could rival the English crown,” Hope mumbled. 

Lizzie just nodded, never taking her eyes off the ring. 

“Do you think she’ll like it?” Hope asked with a shy smile. “I tore apart a few necklaces that my Aunt Rebekah said no one was ever going to wear again. Don’t worry, I had Freya make sure they weren’t cursed or anything. Apparently that’s in like a separate vault and—”

“Alright, stop rambling,” Lizzie interrupted. “You’re sweating into your food and your daughter has been trying to reach for her plate for the last 5 minutes. Please feed my niece.”

Hope snapped out of it and looked at her whiny daughter. Olivia was opening and closing her fists and signing “want.” She then started slamming her hands on her end of the table before Hope moved the plate in her direction. 

“Okay baby. Be careful, it’s hot.” Onto a small plate Hope chopped up a few pieces of bow tie pasta into small chunks that Olivia shoved into her mouth with a hum of delight.

“I know you’re freaked out,” Lizzie said. “But I need you to relax. This ring is incredible and she’s going to love it. So what did you need from me?”

“I just...I can’t decide how I want to ask her,” Hope explained. “She means everything to me and I feel like I’ve been preaching to her that she’s the only one for me for a while now. I want her to feel that and I want her to feel special to me. I don’t know, does any of this make sense?”

“No,” Lizzie said around her forkful of salad. “But I think I’ve managed to decode most of that.” 

Hope groaned and dramatically slammed her forehead on the table. Olivia belly-laughed and reached a buttery hand forward to pat her mommy’s head. 

“Josie deserves the world, Liz. I know that most of the time she doesn’t want an entire fireworks spectacle of romance but I can’t help feeling like that’s what I should be doing.”

Lizzie gave a sympathetic sigh. “Okay Mikaelson, I’ll help you. What did you have in mind?”

Hope briefly laid out her plan. To her credit, Lizzie listened with minimal interruptions. Every time she decided to get snarky she would have Olivia start signing a new word and it would distract Lizzie enough to bring her focus back in. 

“I think your plan is insane but doable. It’s definitely pulling on her heartstrings. Don’t worry, I’ll make sure I convince her to get where we need her to be.”

Hope picked at her food a little. “So...you approve of your sister marrying a Mikaelson?”

“Please, you’re already married,” Lizzie teased. “But honestly, and I will murder you if you repeat this...a Mikaelson is what my sister needs.”

Hope gave her a quizzical look. “Oh yeah?”

“You Mikaelsons are obsessive and you throw yourselves into love and family with reckless disregard for life and limb. And  _ that  _ is what Josie actually deserves. Someone who doesn’t hesitate.”

Hope gave her a watery smile and wiped away a tear. Olivia looked at her mama and made the sign for “cry.”

“No no, baby. I’m not sad. I’m happy,” Hope reassured her daughter.

“Okay, this kid is way too smart. It’s almost alarming,” Lizzie remarked. 

“Don’t be jealous,” Hope replied. “So, one month to prepare? You’ll make sure Josie gets there and brings everything she should?”

“Don’t worry about me, Mikaelson. I’ll get everything together. Josie won’t know what hit her.”


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Olivia decides to start using her powers for troublemaking a week before Hope plans on proposing. Now is really not the time.

Hope knew it was just a matter of time before Olivia started to really embrace her magic. They knew Olivia had some powerful magic in her but they weren’t sure just how it would all look once she started to develop more complete thoughts and fine motor skills. As exciting as that was, Hope couldn’t help but feel a little bit frustrated that her daughter decided to start playing around with magic about a week before she planned to propose to Josie. 

Olivia’s favorite thing to do was make shields. Don’t want mommy Hope to leave the room to use the bathroom? Shield. Want to pull the box of teething cookies off the counter even though mama Josie cut you off? Shield bubble around the box and pull. Need to avoid nap time? Well. That’s the current predicament Hope was involved in. 

Livy was playing in her pack-n-play in their living room while her mother was on the phone. Hope was trying to finish up some last minute preparations for her proposal next week and she was starting to panic a little. She had basically been avoiding Josie to make sure she didn’t feel compelled to accidentally let something slip. She had enlisted Lizzie’s help to take Josie out for lunch that afternoon to give her some time to get everything wrapped up. 

Since it was getting to be around 12:30 in the afternoon, Olivia was getting fussy. She started banging a few plastic toys together while making happy shrieks until they suddenly and without warning dissolved into whiny shrieks...and then full-blown crying. 

Hope tried to continue her conversation with the vendor on the phone and grabbed a cold binky from the freezer. Livy’s teething had been a major annoyance for not just the baby but both her moms as well. They started leaving binkies in the fridge and freezer to soothe her when she got extra upset.

“Yeah, yeah I just wanted to confirm the delivery address,” Hope shouted into the phone over the noise, shoving the binky in Livy’s mouth with absolutely no luck. She just screamed around the cold rubber. 

“Olivia, baby. It’s okay. Is it time for a nap? I think it’s time for a nap,” Hope mumbled, turning back to her conversation. “Yes, it should be delivered to Lizzie Saltzman...Yep, that’s the address. Okay great, thank you!”

She hung up the phone quickly and started walking over to her cranky daughter. Once Olivia heard the word “nap” she had briefly stopped crying only to heavily inhale and then start crying again but  _ harder _ _._ She clearly didn’t want to nap.

“I know you don’t want to but you need to sleep,” Hope said. 

Hope grabbed Olivia’s baby blanket and turned all the lights off and closed all the blinds in the penthouse with a wave of her hand. She then leaned down to grab Olivia herself only to wrap her arms around a shimmering blue force field. 

“Oh no,” Hope muttered. “No, nope. No way. Uh uh. You take this shield down right NOW.”

Olivia’s crying had slowed into huffy whimpers now. She chewed on her binky and simply stared at her mother. She signed the word “no” and went back to playing with her toys. 

Hope’s eye twitched with frustration. She tried every counter-spell she could think of but they all bounced off the shield. Just for fun she lightly tossed her phone at the shield only to watch as it went flying back in her direction. 

She ducked as it went crashing into the wall behind her. Olivia giggled as she slammed on her baby piano. 

“Olivia Beth Mikaelson!” Hope stamped her foot. “I am putting you to bed whether you like it or not!”

The baby continued to ignore her. Hope had to eventually admit defeat as she could only think of one solution. Reluctantly, she retrieved her phone and called her girlfriend. 

Josie answered after only a few rings. “Hey babe! What’s up? We just ordered.”

“I need your help,” Hope whined. “She won’t nap.”

Josie giggled through the phone. “Okay? So what? I don’t hear her crying so I mean—”

“She is undermining my authority!” Hope shrilled. 

“I have no idea what that means,” Josie replied. “Is something wrong?”

Hope shifted her weight from foot to foot. “I had some...important calls I had to make and she’s not napping and I can’t pick her up and she keeps screaming.”

“What do you mean you can’t pick her up?”

“Your daughter has suddenly decided that she doesn’t like the word ‘nap’ and is refusing to allow me to hold her.”

“Oh, so when she misbehaves she’s  _ my  _ daughter?”

“Yes,” Hope deadpanned. 

“I still don’t understand,” Josie pressed. “What do you mean she won’t allow you to hold her?”

Hope sighed. “Shield. She put up a shield. And I need you to siphon the shield so I can grab her and put her down in the crib.”

Her answer was met with silence. Then small giggles. And then heaving laughter. She could hear Josie relaying the story to Lizzie who joined her in the revelry and Hope just stood there pouting. 

Olivia still had the shield up and Hope felt disrespected on all fronts. 

“Oh shut up, you two! Just get home when you can!” And she hung up the phone. 

Hope sat herself down on the couch and crossed her arms over her chest. She started answering some work emails while she watched Olivia play. The baby started to rub at her face tiredly but refused to admit defeat. Hope just assumed that eventually Olivia would get too tired to hold the shield up but she kept on going like the Energizer bunny. Damn Mikaelson genetics and their never-ending supply of magic.

Not twenty minutes later, Josie came strutting through the door. She tossed her keys into the bowl by the entryway and surveyed the scene in the living room. Josie then put her hands on her hips as she walked over to Olivia’s play pen. 

“Why are you tormenting your mommy, Liv?” she interrogated. When Olivia didn’t look at her Josie raised her hand and laid it on the shield. 

“Olivia Beth, take this shield down,” Josie said firmly, knocking her fist on the force field. When nothing happened she just shrugged. 

“Alright, you asked for it.” Josie’s hand glowed red and she quickly siphoned the shield bubble. 

When her daughter realized what had happened she started shrieking again. Josie reached down and grabbed her kicking and squirming baby and held her as securely as she could while walking to Olivia’s room. She bounced her softly on her hip to settle Livy down, waiting several minutes until the screaming had subsided into sniffles as her little head of black curls eventually laid down against Josie’s shoulder. 

Once Olivia was properly put down, Hope sighed with relief. Olivia wasn’t normally this fussy in the afternoons but they both felt that the teething pain must be keeping her up at night and frustrating her during the day. Hope watched Josie come out of the baby’s room and softly close the door. 

“First of all,” Josie started. “Don’t hang up on me. I get that you’re frustrated and probably just as tired as Olivia but come on. You know better than that.”

Hope just looked at her hands sheepishly. She mumbled a quiet “I’m sorry.” 

“It’s okay, I get it,” Josie said with a kiss to Hope’s forehead. “Now, I left Lizzie in the restaurant to come and fix this. We’ll talk to Freya when I get back about a way to maybe dampen her powers until she’s old enough to control them. I can see where this could get out of hand real quick.”

“No no, go enjoy your lunch,” Hope shook her head. “I’ll call Freya while you're gone and sort this out. And then maybe I’ll nap too.”

Josie just nodded. She then gave Hope an appraising look. “Is there...something going on that you want to talk to me about?”

“What?” Hope gave her a scrunched up look of confusion. 

“I don’t know, you seem a little...distant lately. You’d tell me if something was wrong, right?”

Hope sighed. “Of course. Nothing is wrong, I promise. I’m just a little tired. That’s all. Now, go enjoy yourself before Lizzie comes busting through that door looking for you and waking my baby in the process.”

Josie smiled, gave her a soft kiss, and then headed back out. Hope never did get that nap, spending the afternoon working out a proper spell to clamp Olivia’s magic a bit with Freya’s help. She felt exceptionally guilty quietly performing the spell while her daughter slept. She knew it was for her own good though. This would be easier to manage when Olivia understood proper instructions like “don’t block out your mommy from putting you down for a nap” but that obviously wasn’t an option right now. 

This would all be worth it once her proposal goes off without a hitch. She definitely didn’t need unstable baby Mikaelson magic interfering. 


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> We're going to Salvatore, y'all!

By the end of the week, Hope was excited to just get this fucking proposal  _ over with. _ Lizzie had tried to remind her to enjoy the journey because it would hopefully never happen again. 

“At least, it better never happen again because so help me god if you break my sister’s heart I won’t need magic to flay you alive,” Lizzie often threatened her. 

The first week of May, Hope packed up her little family in their SUV to drive to Mystic Falls. They finally had a good wrangle on Olivia’s magic but Hope left a small channel open so she wasn’t cut off completely. She could still wreak a little havoc but for a significantly smaller amount of time. 

Hope enlisted Alaric’s help in her proposal as well. At her direction, he requested that all three of his daughters return to Salvatore for the graduation of the older kids and then stay for a long weekend so he could spend some time with Olivia. Once most of the students had returned home for the summer, Hope would set the final pieces in motion. Proposing to Josie at Salvatore somehow just felt...right. 

She now anxiously sat in the front seat of the car holding Josie’s hand as they drove. Olivia was bouncing in her car seat and babbling along to Bubble Guppies songs on the radio. The ring in her pocket felt like it was burning against her leg. More than once Hope had to swallow the urge to say “fuck it” and just ask Josie to marry her over dinner or during Olivia’s bath time. 

“You know, I’m a little surprised Dad asked us to come for graduation,” Josie said, snapping her out of her nervous thoughts. “He’s never asked us to before and it’s not like we know anyone left at that school.”

“Well,” Hope replied with a shrug. “I think your Dad wants to celebrate his first school year free from monster attacks. It was about time.”

“This is true. I’m just excited my Dad gets to spend some time with Olivia. She’s getting so big.”

Olivia let out an unprompted shriek in response to her name. She had been extra noisy the last month or so, right on the cusp of talking. She was amused by the sound of her own voice and Josie and Hope started just treating all of her shrieks as background noise these days. 

“You excited to see Grandpa, baby love?” Hope asked while grabbing for Olivia’s little foot. Her daughter replied with more mimicking noises. 

Small moments like this really helped to settle Hope down. Her daughter was happy and Josie loved her. Maybe asking Josie to marry her would be easier than she thought. She just needed to focus on the little things and the big things would fall into place. Hope kissed the back of Josie’s hand on her knuckles and they settled into silence. 

When they got to the school, Hope’s anxiety started to bubble up. They grabbed a sleepy Olivia out of her car seat who snuggled into Josie’s neck. She instantly perked up when she saw her Aunt Lizzie come skipping out of the front entryway with arms outstretched. Olivia hummed around her binky, made the sign for “aunt,” and leaned forward to be held. 

“Oh, there’s my perfect niece,” Lizzie cooed while grabbing her. “You’re so big! How is she so big when I saw her last week? And her hair is getting so long, I can’t believe you can get it into a little hair clip like this.”

Josie laughed and gave her sister a kiss on the cheek. “She really is so big. She’s trying to talk.”

“Of course she is, I’m sure she’s got so much to say already. She does take after me the most so it makes sense,” Lizzie replied. “Anyway, I’m taking her to meet all the teachers now. They all want to fawn over the baby...quadbrid? Is that what we decided on calling her?”

“We decided on nothing of the sort but feel free to take her,” Josie said, shoving the baby bag into Lizzie’s hand. “She needs to be changed before you take her to see people so don’t forget.”

Lizzie brushed her off and carried a bouncing Livy through the doors. 

“Should we be worried that our daughter is going to come back to us with adoring fans?” Hope joked. 

“Honestly? Probably.”

Josie grabbed Hope’s hand as they strolled through the busy hallways with their bags. Students were packing up the last of their belongings before summer break. 

The couple and Olivia would be staying in one of the larger suites that had a bathroom attached so it would be easier to take care of the baby's needs. God knows Hope didn’t want to figure out how to wash her daughter in the communal bathrooms from her childhood. 

As Josie disappeared into the bathroom Hope felt her phone buzz in her pocket. 

**Lizzie: Your daughter is already a celebrity.**

Hope just chuckled. 

**Hope: Oh yeah? You better not lose sight of the bigger picture here, Saltzman. Don’t forget, I need you to distract Josie tomorrow afternoon. Did you get the delivery?**

**Lizzie: Easy there wolfy, I got it covered. Everything is waiting for you and accounted for. Just don’t blow it before the big reveal.**

Hope rolled her eyes and put her phone back in her pocket as Josie came out of the bathroom. Hope just gave her a nervous smile. 

“Everything good?” Josie questioned. “You look anxious. Is Lizzie posting pictures of Olivia in silly costumes again?”

Hope shook her head quickly. “No baby, everything is fine. I’m just a little tired from the drive.”

“Well perk up because we have an afternoon of clapping for students to look forward to. I think Lizzie said she wanted to take me to the Mystic Grill or something tomorrow afternoon as like an ‘old time’s sake’ kind of thing. She’s never really been one for nostalgia so I’m a little confused. But anyway, did you want me to take Olivia with me or...?”

“No, don’t worry about it. I’ll keep her with me. How much trouble can she really get into in a school for magical children?”

Josie then shyly bit her lip in that oh so cute way that Hope just adored. She stepped closer to Josie and grabbed her hand. 

“Something on your mind, Jo?” she smirked. 

Josie just smiled at her. She started playing with her hands as she gave Hope an appraising look that made Hope blush. “Well, if Lizzie has the baby and my dad is busy for the next few hours and there’s _no one_ here to bother us…”

“Yeah?” Hope leaned in until her lips were a fraction of an inch from Josie’s. She could see the faint pink blush in her cheeks. 

“A-And um...you look really cute in that top with your skinny jeans,” Josie stammered. 

“Oh? And what are you going to do about it, Josie?”

Josie laid a tentative hand on her hip that crept up under her top to caress the skin of her lower back. Hope’s eyes closed at the soft touch. Shy Josie was her favorite Josie. 

Her girlfriend closed the distance and kissed her firmly, sucking on her bottom lip. Hope enthusiastically kissed her back, threading her fingers through brunette locks. They kissed lazily until Hope felt the back of her knees knock into the edge of the bed. 

“I think we should make the most of this freedom while we still have it,” Josie whispered as she pushed Hope down onto the bed. 

Yeah, Hope was going to marry the hell out of this girl. So what if Josie glared at her for the entirety of the graduation ceremony for the careless hickeys Hope left on her neck?

  
  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I don't do smut. This is the best you're gonna get, lol.


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hope sets everything in motion for her proposal to Josie. Plus a cameo by MG!

The morning of the proposal, Hope got up early before Josie and just as Olivia was starting to get huffy. Livy was sitting up in her pack-and-play that they used as their portable crib. Hope giggled quietly at her daughter’s unruly bed head as she sleepily rubbed her little fists against her eyes. She cast a quick silencing spell as she scooped up her daughter, a clean diaper, and her hard-bottom slippers. 

She took a freshly changed Olivia down the now significantly emptier halls and into the kitchens. Livy sucked on her sippy cup of watered down orange juice while Hope busied herself making breakfast. She always loved the Salvatore kitchens. They were always stocked with the best and freshest foods so finding everything she needed for banana cream waffles and eggs was incredibly easy. 

Hope alternated between cutting chunks of banana for waffles and little chunks for Olivia who wrapped a chubby fist around them and shoved them in her mouth. 

“That yummy?” Hope chuckled. 

Olivia answered with a loud “Mmmm!” and another shovel of banana bitlets. Hope quickly finished up breakfast and stole a pot of coffee and two mugs. She put it all on a tray, levitated the whole thing with a spell, and grabbed her daughter now covered in banana mush. A quick prestidigitation spell cleaned her up and she went back to their suite. 

Josie was just waking up as she opened the door. Olivia bounced with excitement at seeing her mama Josie awake. 

“Look baby, mama is awake,” Hope cooed. 

Olivia babbled and made little “mmm” noises as she clapped her hands. 

“That’s right, yay! Say hi to mama,” Hope handed the baby to her girlfriend. Josie grabbed her and kissed her on the cheeks. 

“What’s all this and why does she taste like bananas?” Josie teased. 

Hope grabbed the hot pot of coffee and floated the tray of food down to Josie’s lap. She then took the pot and poured them each a cup of coffee well out of reach of their wiggly girl. 

“What? I can’t make my love some breakfast in the morning?” 

“I suppose that’s allowed,” Josie grinned. “Oooh, banana waffles? My favorite!”

She then tucked into her plate, every so often cutting up a small piece of waffle for Olivia. Josie offered Hope some pieces in exchange for kisses which were gladly given. 

“What did I do to deserve such a sweet morning?” Josie sighed. 

“Well,” Hope replied through a sip of coffee. “You’re a fantastic mom. You put up with all of my eccentricities and Olivia’s magical outbursts. You work really hard in your lab and everyone loves you. So…take your pick?”

“Sweet talker,” Josie said with a kiss. “Come on, if we don’t get up soon Lizzie will riot. She seems so dead set on getting me to do stuff with her today. Are you sure you’ll be fine watching Olivia all day?”

“Don’t worry about us, babe,” Hope answered as they reluctantly got out of bed. 

“But I’ll miss you guys,” she pouted. 

“Just go and have some fun shopping. We’ll miss you too, god knows Livy must be sick of hanging with me all the time. But you deserve a break. If anything, I’ll dump her on your dad if she gets too feisty.”

Hope leaned over to tickle Livy’s belly who giggled and kicked her mom’s hand away. 

“Fine, I’ll let Lizzie kidnap me for a day. But only if I get to spend all night with the two of you,” Josie placated. 

“Sounds like a plan.”

Once Josie was safely off of Salvatore grounds and out and about in Mystic Falls with her sister, Hope began to work as fast as she could. Alaric played babysitter for most of the afternoon until part of Josie’s surprise showed up. 

Hope’s face broke into a wide grin as she saw MG enter the half-decorated grand entry. She ran up to him and threw herself in his arms in a tight hug. 

“Oh, it’s been ages! I’m so happy to see you,” she mumbled into his shoulder. 

“You too, Hope. I’m so glad you called me to be here for this,” MG gave her a forceful hug in return. 

He then shifted his gaze to Olivia who was sitting on a blanket in the middle of the floor with a bunch of noisy toys. An episode of Bubble Guppies was playing on her tablet that was up on a table out of reach. 

“Oh my god,” he gasped. “She is...so freaking  _ cute! _ _”_ MG couldn’t help the use of his vampire speed to pop next to Olivia in milliseconds. She twitched in confusion at the new person but otherwise just stared. 

“Hi Olivia, I’m your Uncle MG! Do you remember me from the Skype calls?” 

Hope came up behind MG and did a small waving motion at her daughter. “Olivia, can you say hi?”

The little one put a teething ring in her mouth but gave a tiny wave as requested. MG made a squeaking noise, clearly overwhelmed by her adorability. Hope left them to hang out while she finished up her work.

She and MG spent the better part of the afternoon transforming the grand entry into a proper stage for a marriage proposal. Lizzie had kindly picked up all the deliveries for her with minimal complaining. Hope had ordered buckets upon buckets of fresh flowers that were placed throughout the hall. White roses and lavender hydrangeas sat in vases across all surfaces. Bright violet ropes of wisteria were draped from the rafters, over entryways, and wrapped around the staircase banisters.

Ingredients for Josie’s favorite foods were purchased ahead of time. They asked the kitchen staff kindly if they would prepare everything. Most of the kitchen staff remembered sweet Josie Saltzman since her childhood. Hope knew Josie would sneak into the kitchens to help wash dishes since she was little because she felt bad. The staff was happy to help with the proposal food and Hope, of course, paid them double their normal salary for their work. 

Finishing touches were laid just as Lizzie texted her that she was bringing Josie back to their suite. Hope had a dress and flats laid out for Josie to change into. Olivia even napped a little during the hustle. 

Hope scrambled to get herself ready with a whiny Olivia in tow. She managed to get Livy in the fluffy blue party dress they received as a gift from Lizzie. Much like her mother would, Olivia picked at the poofy skirt in distaste for a few moments. Hope reassured her that she looked very pretty so she went back to grabbing random objects off surfaces she wasn’t supposed to touch.

After the chaos had settled, MG got in place at the top of the stairs, and she was sure Josie had no idea what was happening there Hope stood. She was made up in an elegant royal blue gown and black heels waiting at the bottom of the stairs for her one truly epic love. Olivia stood up in her pen, binky in her mouth, and looked up the stairs as Hope stroked her curly hair. 

“This is it, baby. I’m going to make an honest woman out of your mama.”

“Mmmm,” Olivia huffed around her binky.

“Yep,” Hope agreed. “It’s going to be fantastic.”


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Here we go everyone! Let's get engaged! Plus a lot of Saltzman twins being the best sisters ever. Let's do this!

Josie ignored the eighth text message from her sister as she busted into Lizzie’s room. Lizzie had been staying in an adjacent suite near their own as she simply refused to sleep in her childhood bed ever again. 

“Oh my god, stop bothering me! I’m here, alright? I was kissing my family goodbye because you insist on separating us for the day for some stupid reason,” Josie whined as she threw open the door. 

Lizzie huffed indignantly. “What? Can’t I be excited to spend time with my one and only twin?”

“Well, it would certainly be a literal first,” Josie deadpanned. Lizzie just glared. 

“Whatever. You ready?”

“Yes, Lizzie. For the fifth time today, I am ready to go.”

By Lizzie’s description, Josie was under the impression that she would be spending a nostalgic day out with her sister around their old hangouts in their hometown. That apparently was  _ not  _ the case as she was dragged around town to places she had never been to nor even knew of their existence. Lizzie had booked them a sister spa day at what was admittedly a rather luxurious looking spa. 

“I...what are we doing here?” Josie gaped. 

“I’m treating you to some much needed relaxation,” Lizzie replied. 

“But it’s not our birthday.”

“I know that, idiot. I’m trying to do something nice here. Can you just go along with it?”

When Josie nodded Lizzie got out of the car. She checked them into their own private waiting room and Josie was informed she would be getting a massage, manicure, and pedicure. 

“Liz, this must have cost you a fortune,” Josie hissed in her ear. “What are you doing?”

“Jo, calm down. I got a raise recently and a bonus that came along with it. You’ve been busting your ass being super mom at home and I can see how much that artifact you’ve been working on has been physically wearing on you.”

Josie blushed in embarrassment. Penelope had isolated and brought a heavily cursed dagger to their lab recently. It felt similar to the Oni-eliminating blade, damn near burning her from the inside out whenever she held it. She didn’t want anyone else on her team to get hurt so she had been the only one handling the blade as they worked on a counter curse. She hadn’t told Hope about it because she didn’t want her worrying about her health but she had complained to Lizzie about it once or twice. Damn their twin bond. 

Josie just sighed in resignation. “I’ve got that situation under control but it has been...exhausting me. And I’m trying to be present for Olivia but I’ve been working such long hours and I honestly could probably use the break.”

“Well?”

“Well,  _ thank you  _ Lizzie. I appreciate the gesture and I’m excited to relax with you today,” Josie smiled. 

Lizzie excitedly clapped her hands and grabbed some bathrobes for them to change into. They relaxed in lounge chairs with tea until their masseuse came to grab them. Josie rolled her eyes when an excessively attractive blonde man came and took her sister’s hand. 

_ She must have called ahead to request that guy. There’s no way she got that lucky.  _

She almost immediately regretted the thought as an equally beautiful red-haired woman came out to take Josie for her massage. Josie made a mental note to slap her sister later because she was sure this was all her doing. 

Josie made it about 15 minutes into her massage before the mental note of yelling at her sister was completely forgotten. She hadn’t realized how tense and stressed out she was until she felt her body completely unwind. She was afterwards led to a jacuzzi tub where Lizzie sat waiting for her with chocolate-covered strawberries and an all too satisfied grin on her face. 

“I love this place,” Lizzie mumbled around a strawberry, sinking further into the warm water. 

Josie took a seat on the opposite end and sighed with delight. “Okay, I’ll hand it to you. Ignoring the awkwardly chosen masseuse that you booked me, this is just phenomenal.”

Lizzie just nodded and replied with an “I told you so” as they enjoyed the remainder of their time at the spa. Josie left feeling refreshed and much more relaxed as she admired her French manicure on their way to lunch. 

“I’m going to feel a little silly walking into The Mystic Grill with a French manicure but I’m too tired to care,” Josie muttered. 

“Good thing we’re going somewhere else then. And before you ask me where, it’s a surprise so just shut up and listen to your shitty music or whatever.”

Josie rolled her eyes but stole the AUX cord from her sister anyway. 

They pulled up to the restaurant not twenty minutes later. Josie got out of the car and shut the door with a look of confusion. 

“When the hell did Mystic Falls get a sushi bar?” Josie wondered aloud. 

“Jesus Christ, what is it with you and the questions today?” Lizzie groaned. “It’s like you don’t trust that someone would do something nice for you for once.”

Josie glared at her sister as they walked through the doorway. “Yeah, well most of the time when people do something nice for me it’s because they  _ want  _ something. So spit it out, Elizabeth. What do you want that requires that you pamper me and buy me fancy sushi?”

As the waitress sat them down, Josie saw a genuine look of anguish on her sister’s face. Lizzie regarded her in silence as Josie looked around the restaurant. That’s when she noticed. 

“Oh my god,” Josie gasped. “For real?”

Josie pointed to the many conveyor belts that surrounded each table. She watched as small, colored plates of sushi in differing sizes and styles went slowly drifting by. 

“Yeah,” Lizzie retorted. “I know you’ve always wanted to do this. I remember you talking about these kinds of places with the sushi on the conveyor belts when we were kids. I saw that they opened one on the outskirts of Mystic Falls recently and decided to bring you. I do occasionally listen to you when you talk, Josette.”

Josie looked down at the table sheepishly. “I’m sorry, I didn’t—”

“No no, it’s okay,” Lizzie interrupted. “I mean, I know I’ve shut you out a lot since you and Hope got together. I know you had to leave because of Olivia but I just...missed you and I ended up freezing you out. So, this is me trying to make up for it a bit.”

Josie grabbed her sister’s hand across the table. “I’m sorry for snapping at you. I think I’m just a little tired and cranky from everything lately. I haven’t been able to see Hope or Olivia as much as I want to and I basically never get to see you. You’re a good sister, Lizzie. I’ll try and make more time for you in my life.”

She then turned to the little plates moving by their table. 

“Okay, how do we do this?” she asked excitedly. 

Lizzie smiled at her. “You just grab whatever looks good and each plate is color-coded. Each color has a price associated with it and they tally up the plates at the end of everything. Pick whatever you like, my treat. But try not to eat too much. I think Hope has dinner plans for you.”

Josie and Lizzie smashed through a huge stack of plates and a few cups of Sake before Lizzie realized she needed to get her sister back for her surprise. 

“Oh, we gotta get you back,” she announced looking at the clock on her phone. 

“Back for what?” 

“Again with the questions,” Lizzie dismissed, signing her name on the receipt. “Come on.”

They laughed and talked the entire way on the car ride back to the school. Josie stopped asking questions once Lizzie reassured her that both Hope and Olivia would be waiting for her. She stealthily steered Josie to her and Hope’s suite. Before opening the door, Lizzie just gave her a stern analyzing gaze. 

“Yes?” Josie questioned. 

“Nothing,” Lizzie sighed. “Have fun. Meet me at the top of the entry staircase in twenty minutes and not a minute later. Got it?”

Josie gave her a nervous thumbs up. 

“Good. Love you, Jo.”

“I love you too?” Josie was so confused now. Lizzie just sauntered over to her own room and disappeared behind the door. 

Josie felt a cold pit in her stomach. Something was going on and she didn’t know what and she really didn’t like it. She threw the door open to her suite, not knowing what to expect. 

Inside, on the bed, sat a shimmering peach-colored gown with a bottom made of pink tulle. Matching ballet flats sat by the foot of the bed and were encrusted with sparkles. Josie slowly approached the gown and rubbed her fingertips on the fabric. She saw a note written in Hope’s handwriting that simply said “Get dressed, Princess. See you soon.”

“Hope Mikaelson,” she muttered to herself. “What on Earth are you planning?”

That cold pit seemed to grow colder as she got herself dressed. She kept her hair in loose curls with some of it braided and pinned to the back. Josie didn’t see any jewelry laid out so she put on the talisman necklace Hope had given her when they were younger. 

_ What if...what if she’s planning something big? Like...like maybe? _

Josie’s anxious mind wouldn’t let her finish the thought. The fear of being disappointed that whatever this was  _ would not  _ end the way she desperately wanted it to was keeping her from accepting it as a possibility. At this point she just wanted to see her family and have a quiet night with Hope and Livy. 

So, Josie took a deep breath and went to go and confront the rest of her evening. She wandered down the strangely quiet hallways of her childhood. As she approached the grand staircase she caught sight of a familiar face she definitely did not expect to see and it certainly wasn’t her sister. 

“MG? What…oh my god, what are you doing here?” she exhaled the words softly as he walked up to her. 

MG stood there in dapper maroon tux and shiny brown leather shoes. He held out an elbow for her to wrap her arm around, which she did with a giggle. 

“I am here,” he explained. “Because I left you waiting at the top of these stairs once. When you needed me the most. But not this time. I wouldn’t miss this for the world.”

Josie just shook her head. “I don’t understand. Wouldn’t miss  _what?_ Everyone keeps acting like something is...happening…”

She trailed off as she was led by her best friend to the stairwell. Josie just stood there as her eyes tried to drink in the sight before her. 

The entry hall could rival a greenhouse with the way it was simply bursting with flowers. She could see overflowing vases placed on cloth covered tables throughout the space. Above her head were dripping wisteria vines. She saw tables upon tables of food and desserts and bottles of champagne. Raining down from the ceiling was the same drizzle of golden fairy dust Josie had put up for Hope the night she told them she was pregnant almost two years ago. The sight of it warmed her heart and calmed her immediately. 

But the most striking sight before her was her girlfriend standing at the bottom of the stairs waiting for her, her daughter next to her bouncing in an absolutely hilarious party dress. Hope had her red hair down and flowing in waves over her shoulders. The deep blue fabric of her gown hugged her many curves and the front hem rested just above her ankles, showing off the height of her black heels. The train flowed an inch or two behind her. Hope had two glasses of what Josie assumed was champagne in either hand and she was giving Josie a mischievous grin as she waited. 

Josie looked over at MG in a haze of emotion. 

“Please,” she whispered to him. “Please don’t let me fall.”

He tightened his hold on her arm. “Never.”

True to his word, MG held on tight to his friend as Josie slowly walked down the stairs and stopped in front of Hope. He kissed her on the cheek and he wandered over to where she could see her sister and her father standing behind a table with desserts. 

She now just stood there gaping at Hope. Just barely above the ringing in her ears did she hear Olivia make happy baby noises seeing her mama. 

“Wisteria,” was all that came out of Josie’s mouth. 

“What?” Hope asked with a grin and a raised eyebrow. 

_ Great job, Josette. Focus and speak like a human! _

“Um, wisteria. They’re...uh my favorite.”

Hope handed her a glass of champagne. “I know that.”

“Right,” she replied around a heavy gulp. “Hope, what’s going on?”

“You know,” Hope began with a shrug. “I angsted for weeks deciding how I wanted to do this. And I know you’re going to want to ask me a million questions before I’m done so just hush for me for a bit, yeah?”

Josie pouted but nodded anyway. 

“Good. Josette Saltzman...you are the love of my life and I genuinely hope that’s not news to you. You’re not only my best friend but you’re the mother of my child. My perfect and sweet child that is only this perfect and sweet because she has you in her life. And I know that you’ve always felt that you’ve come in second place your whole life. Which is why I decided to do this somewhere you’ve fallen second so many times. You have always  _ deserved _ to come first because all you have ever done your whole life is make everyone around you feel so special, loved, and supported. And so many of those people have walked away from you, even in this very spot. But I’m changing that trend right now.”

Hope laid a hand on Josie’s wet cheek. Josie sniffled away tears as she waited for Hope to finish. She nuzzled her face against Hope’s warm palm. 

“So,” Hope sighed. “Josie. Love of my life. Will you—”

The moment was temporarily shattered by an ear-piercing shriek from Olivia. She was bouncing with a frustrated look on her scrunched-up face. She made grabby hands at her mothers. 

“Mmmm!” Olivia whined. 

“One minute baby,” Hope soothed. “I gotta ask mama a question.”

Olivia just started to cry in response. Josie laughed as Hope huffed in frustration. 

“Olivia, of all the times to decide to be bad,” Hope groaned.

Her daughter, not one to be ignored, decided to throw her binky at the two of them and continued to wail. 

“Hey! No throwing!” Hope chastised. 

“It’s really okay, Hope. I just—”

“No, it’s not okay. I’m trying to have a moment here and she just—”

“MmmmaMA!”

Both Hope and Josie snapped their heads down to stare at their crying daughter. They were stunned into shocked silence. Josie was crying for a different reason now, Olivia grabbing and pulling on Josie’s dress as far as she could reach over her pen. 

“What?” Josie gasped. 

Olivia continued to babble but then, clear as day, she yelled “maMA! Mamamama…”

“WAS THAT…?!” Lizzie shouted. 

“Th-that was…” Hope stammered. 

“Her first word,” Josie finished for the both of them. “Me. My name. Mama. That was her first word. YOU GUYS! She’s  _ speaking! ” _

In one swift movement, Josie shoved her glass of champagne into Hope’s fumbling hand and scooped up her daughter. She just sobbed with soft reassurances of “yes baby, I’m right here. You can always ask for me and I’ll always be here.”

Olivia hugged her mama back with tiny pats on the back, a gesture she had just started doing within the last few months. Josie kissed her several times on the head and tried to wipe tears out of her own eyes and off her cheeks. 

“Well. Looks like I’ve had my thunder stolen by my own child. Figures,” Hope bemoaned. 

“Oh shut up and finish your damn speech already, Mikaelson! We want cake!” Lizzie yelled from across the room. Josie couldn’t help but let out a chuckle. 

“Josie Saltzman,” Hope tried again. “Before Olivia starts walking, running, and speaking in full sentences, please...will you marry me?”

Josie was already nodding before Hope even finished asking.  “Yes Hope, yes. Yes, I will marry you.”

Hope’s face broke out into the biggest grin she could muster as she pulled out the stunning diamond ring. Josie shifted Olivia over to her right side so she could hold out her left hand. Hope slipped the ring on with shaky fingers and pulled Josie into a fierce kiss. 

Josie could hear shouts and cheers from her family around her but she ignored them. She kissed Hope as if her life depended on it. Eventually Olivia started pushing them apart, tired of being smushed between her moms. They giggled as they parted. 

“I love you,” Hope whispered. 

“I love you too. Both of you. So much.”

“You know, she missed you all day,” Hope replied. 

“Apparently so,” Josie chuckled. “I can’t believe she’s talking now. What’s next? College graduation? Hope, I’m not ready!”

“Well, focus on wedding planning for now. I think we've got a lot of time in between.”

“Yeah,” Josie sighed. “I think we’ve got forever. But for now...can we have that cake?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you guys SO MUCH for all of you who made it this far! I kind of anguished over this fic for WEEKS. Eventually I just decided to write whatever made me smile and I had so much fun creating this. Comments and kudos are equally appreciated and loved. I just appreciate every one of you all for reading. Who knows? Maybe I'll do a Hosie wedding as the next part????


End file.
